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Teenagers! Stop going to festivals when you have measles

By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 9 August 2016

Have you been to a festival this year? Well, you probably have measles now. I’m sorry that’s just the way it is. Public Health England has warned that there have been a “significant number of cases [of measles] linked to music festivals and other large public events”.

The government body says that 38 cases have so far been linked to such events in June and July of this year alone. Oh, that doesn’t sound like a lot to you? Well, how about I tell you that there were 54 cases across the whole of England in total in the first six months of 2015. In the same period this year there have been 234.

Part of the problem, it is thought, is that young people who missed out on MMR vaccinations as children – during that spurious scare that the injections caused autism – are becoming teenagers and going off to music festivals. “Measles is extremely infectious and events where people are mixing closely with each other provide the ideal place for the infection to spread”, warns PHE, adding that the effects of the virus can be more serious in teenagers.

PHE’s Head Of Immunisation, Dr Mary Ramsay says: “Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can be very unpleasant and sometimes lead to serious complications. So, if you think you might have measles, please don’t go to any of these big events. Measles isn’t common these days because most of us are vaccinated, but young people who missed their MMR jab as children are vulnerable, especially if gathered in large numbers at an event. If you think you’ve got it, call your GP or NHS 111. Please don’t turn up at the surgery or at A&E as you could infect other patients”.

And that’s why you have measles now.